Chick shipping box



1943. R. c. MARSHALL, JR 2,3313

CHICK SHIPPING BOX Filed Sept. 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l H i v I Oct.12, 3943. R. c. MARSHALL, JR ,3

CHICK SHIPPING BOX Filed Sept. 25, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W INVENTOR.

Patented Get. 12, 1943 m OFFICE cmcxsmrrme ox Richard 0. Marshall, is,

vsig'nor to Crook Paper 30 Kansas City, 'Mo.,

Kansas City, Mo., as-

: Company, North a corporation of Missouri Application September 25,1941 Serial No. 412,259

9 Claims.

This invention relates to shippingcontainers.

for poultry and particularly, ventilated boxes used in shipping chicksin large quantities. where many of the boxes must be used, and thereforestacked one upon the other.

, One of the primary aims oi this invention is to" provide a chickshipping box having partitions therein constructed to contributerigidity to the box, after they have been inserted through theemployment of special interlocking parts formed on the partitions per seand the main section of the container.

train which the box embodying this invention is made, may be of thin andlight weight, especially as compared to the materials heretofore used.The particular'fo'rm and manner of securing the partitions in the boxallows the employment such material as does the unique way ofconstructing and placing the spacers on the cover.

The tray-like section of the box is designated by the numeral 8 and isformed of a blank,

shown in Fig. 4. This section 8 comprises vertical side walls It,hingedly secured to bottom l2 Another important aim of this invention isto provide a shipping box for chicks having a cover equipped with aplurality of spacers arranged with particular regard'to the underlyingpartitions in the box, and constructed to present a hat bearing face of,an appreciable area, .upon which the overlying box may rest.

A still further object or the instant invention is the provision of abox 0! the aforementioned character constructed of relatively thin,foldable 7 material, the parts or which may'all be shipped in a flatcondition for assembly at the point of first use, without tools orspecial equipment, said box being extremely light, strong, rigid andcapable of withstanding stresses and parted thereto while enroute. I

Other objects of the invention will appear during. the course of thefollowing specification, referring to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. i is a perspective view of a chick shipping box made in accordancewith the present invention, parts being broken away to-reveal the natureof the special partitions.

2 is a vertical cross sectional view through the box, taken on linelIIlZ of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the spacer embodying this invention,removed from its operative position but showingthe manner in which theears thereof enter slits in the top or the cover. V

Fig. 4 is'a plan view of the blank from which the tray-likesection ofthe box is formed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the partitions in a stretched outcondition prior to its introduction into the main section of the box;and

Fig. 6 is a similar stretch-out view of the blank from which the spacersare created.

Heretofore, chick shipping boxes of the knock down type have been madeof relatively heavy corrugated board or thick material, the weight ofwhich was relied upon to contribute the necessary rigidity to the boxwhen in the assembled condition. The cardboard or fiber board strainimand joined at the corners through the medium of interlocking slots andwings l4 and i6 respec- Each of the side walls It is provided withvtively. v a vertical slot l8 and a horizontal slot 20, the latter beingto one side of and near the lower end of the former, to receive thespecially designed extensions 22 of partitions 24. g

Partitions 24 are necessary in order that section 8 might be dividedinto a number of stalls to receive a predetermined quantity of-livechicksthesepartitions 24 being necessary to preclude bunching, andtherefore, damage to the stock during shipment.

It is conventional to provide air holes 26 ill of the box, and alsothrough I which is generally designated by the numeral 28.

Partitions 24 are notched inwardly from one longitudinal edge, as at 30,to afford interlocking elements at their point of intersection. In thepreferred manner of constructing the boxand case, shown in the drawings,the point of, intersection .of partitions 24 is at the center bisection8, and when notches 30 of partitions 24 are disposed as illustrated inFig. 1, the end of parti- The width of partitions 24 is the same as theheight of walls! and the upper edges ;of partitions 24 he in the'sameplane as the upper edges of side walls I o.

-When theimmediately foregoing condition exists in the combination ofparts, extensions 22 are threaded through slots i 8 and 20, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2-.

Extension 22 is L-shaped and eg 32 passes outwardly through verticalslot l8. Extension 22 is then bent toward slot 20 where leg 34 isthreaded through said slot to terminate within the box in superimposedrelation with the inner surface of the wall. Leg 34 is undercut as at 36to preclude accidental displacement.

Tongues l3 struck from bottom I2 enter openings 25 whenthe box is fullyassembled. These tongues hold bottom i2 against the lower edges facesofside walls Hi.

stems lie close to one side of the partitions. The

slot 30 of partition 24 in which openings 25 are formed must extendupwardly from the bottom of the box to insure support by the partitionhaving its slot extending downwardly.

Cover 28 comprises a top wall 38 having air holes 40 therethrough anddepending peripheral flanges 42, which telescopically engage side wallsl when the box is assembled as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It isimperative that chick boxes ofthe type contemplated by this invention,be stacked one upon the other during transportation, and also thatadequate air space be provided between the stacked boxes.

Strong, inexpensive and foldable spacers, generally designated by thenumeral 44, are necessary, and in the preferred form, these spacers 44present a relatively wide bearing fac 46 created by forming a blank,shown in Fig. 6, into a spacer clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. Thisspacer is U- shaped in transverse cross section and the hearing face 46is on the outer side of the bight.

Longitudinal scorings 48, a transverse scoring 50, and a notch 52permits; folding legs 54 into a position substantially parallel witheach other and bending the spacer near its medial line to provide aV-shaped spacer, the point of juncture 5B of which is specially disposedimmediately above the ends of partitions 24 and the upper edges of sidewalls It.-

Ears 58 enter slits 60 in top wall 38 to operably support spacers 44 inthe positions shown in Fig.

1. Slits 60 are on each side of a partition 24 near the ends thereof,and are disposed at the proper angle to maintain the spacersin shapewhen the ears 58 thereof-are forced through the slits. Each spacer 44converges inwardly from point 56 and an even distribution of weight isthereby effected.

Locating spacers 44 as just described and illustrated in the drawings,is advantageous in permitting the entire assembly to be made of lightermaterial than has heretofore been employed, and when the boxes arestacked one upon the other, bearing faces 46 of spacers 44 engage thebottom of the box above immediately below the partitions therein.

All of the parts of this shipping box may be made and initiallydelivered to the user in a fiat condition; partitions 24, spacers 44 andsection 8 I may be stacked compactly and thereafter, as-

sembled as needed. Shipping boxes having physical characteristicsdifferent from those illustrated and described might be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a shipping box for live poultry, a traylike section having abottom and vertical side walls, each of the latter being provided withat least two slots; vertical partitions in the section to divide thesame into a number of stalls; and extensions on the partitions threadedthrough the slots to hold the partitions in place, each of saidextensions projecting outwardly through one of the two slots of a wall,thence inwardly through the other of said slots, said one slot of eachwall being disposed horizontally.

being disposed vertically, the other of said slots extensions on thepartitions threaded through the slots to hold the partitions in place,each of said extensions projecting outwardly through one of the twoslots of a wall thence inwardly through the other of said slots, saidone slot of each wall being disposed vertically, the other of said slotsbeing disposed horizontally, said extensions being L-shaped to enter therespective slots.

3. In a shipping box of the character described, a tray-like sectionhaving a bottom and vertical side walls, each of the latter beingrovided with a pair of slots; partitions in the section to divide thesame into a number of stalls; and extensions on the partitions eachthreaded through a pair of slots to hold the partitions in place, saidslots of each pair being arranged at substantially right angles to eachother, said extensions being correspondingly angular to enter the slotswhen folded to extend laterally from the respective partition.

4. In a shipping box of the character described, a tray-like sectionhaving a bottom and vertical side walls, each of the latter beingprovided with a pair of slots; partitions in the section to divide thesame into a number of stalls; and extensions on the partition eachthreaded through a pair of slots to hold the partitions in place, saidslots of each pair being arranged at substantially right angles to eachother, said extensions having portions at substantially right angles toeach other to enter the slots when folded to extend laterally from therespective partition, the ends of the partitions being held against theinner faces of the side walls when the extensions are in place in thesaid slots.

5. In a shipping box of the character described,

a tray-like section having a bottom and vertical side walls, each of thelatter being provided with a pair of slots; a vertical partition in thesection to divide the same into a number of stalls; and an L-shapedextension on each end of the partition having a width appreciably lessthan the height of the partition, one of the slots of said pair beingvertically disposed, the other of said slots of the pair beinghorizontally disposed to one side of the vertical slot and near thelower end thereof, said L-shaped extension extending outwardly throughthe vertical slot thence along the outer face of the side and thenceinwardly through the horizontal slot.

6. In a shipping box of the character described, a tray-like sectionhaving a bottom, vertical side walls and vertical partitions; a coverfor the section provided with a top wall overlying the side walls andpartitions, and having slits therein; and spacers on the cover havingportions thereof entering the slits, each of said spacers being above apartition and projecting to each side of the extended plane thereof whenthe cover is in place, each of said spacers being V-shaped with thepoint thereof overlying the zone 'of juncture between the end of apartition and the side wall it abuts when the cover is in place.

7 In a shipping box of the character described,- a tray-like sectionhaving a bottom, vertical side walls and vertical partitions; a coverfor the section provided with a top wall overlying the side walls andpartitions, and having slits therein;

and spacers on the cover having portions thereof entering the slits,each of said spacers being above a partition and projecting to each sideof the extended plane thereof when the cover is in place, said spacersbeing intermediate the ends of the side walls of the tray-like sectionand each having legs diverging from a point on the periphery of the topof the cover above the end of a partition.

8. In a shipping box of the character described, a tray-like sectionhaving a bottom, vertical side walls and vertical partitions; a coverfor the section provided with a top wall overlying the side walls andpartitions, and having slits therein; and spacers on the cover havingportions thereof entering the slits, said spacers each being U- shapedin transverse cross section to present a flat upper bearing face, thefree edges of said spacers having ears for entering the slits in the topwall of the cover, said slits being arranged in pairs on each side ofthe underlying partition and-disposed at an angle to hold the spacer ina V-shape when the ears thereof are projecting into the slits.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a spacer for shipping boxes of thecharacter described.

comprising an initially fiat piece of material notched and scored topresent, when formed, a V-shaped body, U-shaped in transverse crosssection, and providing a flat outer bearing surface at the bightthereof, said body having ears at the free edges of the legs thereof forsecuring the spacer in place.

' RICHARD C. MARSHALL, JR.

